We love to enjoy muffins regularly—muffins for breakfast, muffins for lunch, muffins for dessert. We'd eat muffins just about any time of the day. That being said, it took us quite a while to master the art of muffin making. While a simple muffin recipe isn't hard to make, if you're new to baking, there are a few muffin-making steps that can be quite challenging. While you may have the basics of muffin making down, everything becomes a bit harder when you're asked to make a muffin that accommodates individual dietary restrictions. Gluten free baking, paleo baking and even keto recipes can prove to be challenging for some of the most advanced bakers.
To ensure that you continue to make perfect muffins, no matter what recipe you're following, our Bob's Red Mill Experts put together a muffin baking guide. By listening to our customers' concerns, we've discovered that one of the biggest challenges when making muffins isn't the mix itself. It's determining how long to bake muffins for. Achieving the perfect taste and texture is a crucial part of baking a good muffin, and it all boils down to one step—were the muffins cooked properly? Keep scrolling as we answer your most common muffin baking questions and walk you through the steps of cooking this delicious treat.
Knowing Your Muffin Ingredients
First things first, when making the perfect muffins, you must be familiar with the ingredients you're using. Each component used in your recipe will affect how you muffin bakes. For the perfect muffins, here is a general list of the ingredients you will need:
- Flour
- Leavening Agents
- Salt
- Liquid fat (melted butter, coconut oil, or oil)
- Eggs
- Dairy (milk, sour cream, or yogurt)
- Add-ins: chocolate chips, dried fruit, fresh fruit, etc.
Now, if looking at this list, you notice a few off-limit ingredients for your lifestyle, don't stress. From flour to eggs, each ingredient can be swapped for alternatives to ensure that your muffin recipe is fit for your health goals.
Baking With Gluten Free Flour
When reviewing the above list of ingredients, there's one ingredient that can truly make or break a muffin recipe—flour. The type of flour you use to make your muffins will drastically affect your muffin's taste, texture and baking time. If you decide to switch up the flour in your muffin recipe, you'll also want to make a change to the baking time.
This is especially so if you're using gluten free flours. Gluten free baked goods often produce a sandy texture that is not produced in their traditional counterparts. This new texture is primarily due to a shorter baking time. Because gluten free flours lack gluten, the leading binding agent in flour, they are often not allowed a sufficient amount of time to absorb liquid and soften before they're baked. Ensure that your gluten free muffins produce a moist, fluffy texture instead of a grainy one by letting gluten batters sit, covered, for at least thirty minutes before baking them. This will give the starches in the flours time to properly bind with the other ingredients in the mixture.
Additionally, many gluten free goods benefit from extra liquid to hydrate the flour blends. If you're following a gluten free recipe, the extra liquid amount should already be factored into the steps. While this helps muffins achieve a more moist texture, it can backfire and produce a somewhat gummy result if they're not baked long enough. To drive off this extra moisture during baking, you'll want to adjust the recipe for a longer baking time. Test your muffins before pulling them out of the oven, inserting a toothpick into them and checking if it comes out clean. If you're using a gluten free batter, bake just a little longer.
Ideal Muffin Cooking Temperature
Now, it’s time to answer the most asked question “how long do you bake muffins for?” Determining your muffin recipe's ideal temperature and bake time will largely depend on the formula you are following. As stated above, different flours, swaps and add-ins can impact muffin cooking time and should be taken into account when making your baked treat.
That being said, the standard oven temperature for baking desserts like quick breads and muffins is commonly set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Setting your oven to this temperature will almost always produce a well-cooked muffin recipe. When set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit most muffin recipe will cook in twelve to eighteen minutes.
However, if you want muffins that truly impress, instead of baking them at one temperature, we recommend trying two. Using two temperatures when baking your muffins will result in a more tall, rounded result with a lightly crisped top. To achieve this muffin style, begin baking your mixture at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about eight minutes, then lower the oven back to the recommended temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit until they are fully cooked.
Tests to Tell if Your Muffins are Done
The Toothpick Test
The most reliable way to determine if your muffins are fully baked is to insert a toothpick into the center of the desert. When the toothpick comes out clean, your muffins are done. If the toothpick is removed with batter still sticking to the edges, your muffins need more time.
Check the Edges
Another way to tell if your muffins are done is to check the edges. If your pan is adequately oiled, when your muffins are fully cooked, the edges will pull away from the sides of the pan. This means that the inside of your muffin is firm and is ready to be removed from the oven.
Look at the Coloring
Usually, when your muffins are cooked thoroughly, they'll display an even golden brown coloring on their surface. However, this test is not always correct. Cooking muffins at too high a temperature could cause the outside to overbake before the inside has time to cook thoroughly.
Master the Mixing Method
Making and mixing muffins is a process that needs to be done correctly for your muffins to bake as wanted. The muffin mixing method is a method in which all ingredients are mixed in a specific order. This order allows all of the ingredients to mix thoroughly and correctly, ensuring that they cook as they should when they're baked. The most common method for muffins is to mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another. Once all of the ingredients have been mixed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ones. This is a crucial step that cannot be done the other way around. When the wet mix meets the dry mixture, the components will begin to bind and ensure that just enough gluten is developed in the batter. Proper gluten development is key to achieving the ideal baking time.
My Muffins are too Dense—What Went Wrong?
Fresh, warm muffins straight from the oven are a delicious treat! But what happens if, upon tasting your freshly-baked muffins, you notice that the texture is far too dense? While your first thought may be an inadequate baking time, that's usually not the case. Here are a few of the most common culprits of dense muffins.
Too Much Leavening was Added
Too much baking soda or baking powder can be disastrous when baking muffins. While you may have cooked your muffins for the correct amount of time, too much of a leavening agent will cause them to rise quickly and then collapse, resulting in dense muffins. Be sure to measure all ingredients carefully and only add what the recipe states.
They're Full of Liquid
If your batter is too runny, no matter how long you cook them, the result will be dense muffins. When measuring your liquid ingredients, use a measuring cup specifically designed for liquids.
The Batter Has Been Overmixed
Overmixing batter will overdevelop gluten and cause large air pockets inside of your muffins, resulting in a dense baked good that doesn't cook properly.
Remember, achieving the perfect bake time requires you first to master the muffin mixing method, and create a well-blended batter ready to be cooked.
How to Bake Bakery Style Muffins
Looking to achieve a big bakery-style muffin. If so, don't rely on more batter to make your muffins bigger. Instead, change the temperature of your oven. Setting a range lower than most muffin recipes recommend will increase the baking time and allow the muffin's leavening agent to release more gas, creating more rise and fall. This results in the perfect bakery-style domed muffin.
To achieve this style of muffin, set your oven to 350°F, and wait to remove your muffins until they pass the toothpick test.
And there you have it, the ultimate guide to baking muffins and the recommended muffin oven time! Use the tips and tricks in this article to ensure that your next batch of muffins is your best yet! From everyone at Bob's Red Mill, happy muffin making!
